The Only Polio Ward in India

July 20, 2013 | The Atlantic

Esha Chhabra

Dr. Mathew Varghese has several assistants who work under his guidance, and train in his orthopedic practices. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

$Most polio corrective surgeries cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000, a fraction of what they would cost in the U.S. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.$

Most polio corrective surgeries cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000, a fraction of what they would cost in the U.S. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

Polio-corrective surgeries enable the patient to walk again with the help of assistive device. This patient had his feet turned inward; through a series of surgeries, Dr. Mathew Varghese, who runs the polio ward, was able to rotate the foot 180 degrees. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

Ankle foot orthoses for polio patients are stacked in the basement of the hospital. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

Polio breaks down limbs, most noticeably in the legs. Braces are custom-made in the hospital for each of the patient. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

Polio breaks down limbs, most noticeably in the legs. Braces are custom-made for each patient. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

Positive and negatives are made for prosthetics using rudimentary materials. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

The hospital has performed approximately 7,000 surgeries since the program began in 1987. Recently, they've been seeing older patients as the polio virus is fading in India; but those were affected 10 to 20 years ago when the virus was at its height are now finding treatment. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

The polio ward will house about 150 patients each year. Each patient has different needs — some cases can be corrected without the help of a prosthetic, others need assistive devices, and most require braces. Image by Esha Chhabra. India, 2013.

St. Stephen's Hospital, near old Delhi, has the only polio ward in the country. It has on average 10 beds devoted to polio patients. Given that polio is not an emergency case, most hospitals struggle to give polio patients immediate care. However, St. Stephen's is a rare find. It offers free-of-cost polio corrective surgeries to patients who come from far corners of the country. The orthopedic team at the hospital builds the braces and prosthetics in-house, which helps keep costs low. Here's a glimpse inside the ward.